Small science class 1 and 2 teachers boo (Sách tiếng anh dành cho giáo viên Lớp 1 2)

Homi Bhabha Curriculum for Primary Science
First Edition

small

science

Teacher's
Book
Class I & II

Jayashree Ramadas
Aisha Kawalkar
Sindhu Mathai

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, V. N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd, Mumbai 400 088.


Small Science
Teacher's Book
Class I & II
Pilot Edition, 2004
First Edition, 2011

authors

research assistance

Jayashree Ramadas

Pranita Gopal

Aisha Kawalkar
Sindhu Mathai

primary science co-ordinator

general co-ordinator

Jayashree Ramadas

Arvind Kumar

layout and illustrations
Archana Shinde

cover design
Madhugandha Damle

published by

printed by

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
V. N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd
Mumbai 400 088

Merwin Art Printers
B-44, Chandulal Apartments
Golden Field Compound
Sion-Bandra Link Road
Kalakilla, Sion
Mumbai - 400017

© Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, 2004, 2011.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed off
without the publisher's consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.


General preface

N

ot a day passes in our country when somebody somewhere has not criticized our

system of education, particularly our school education. A great many ills and inadequacies

of the system probably flow from extraneous causes and need socio-political initiatives that go
beyond mere reforms in school curriculum. But some problems do arise directly from the
curriculum - text books, teaching and evaluation practices. There is then a need to keep these
problems in view and continually try to devise new curricula to overcome them.
Efforts in curricular reforms and innovations are not new to our country. Nearly every
decade or so, there have been initiatives at the Central and State levels to effect changes in curricula.
Several independent school networks and voluntary groups have brought out their own textbooks

and related materials. There is no doubt that significant progress has been made by the country in
increasingly better conceptualization of the school curriculum at primary, middle and secondary
levels. The paradigms of school curriculum in India have steadily evolved and become more
relevant and modern. Unfortunately, the over-all deterioration of the system due to extraneous
factors has tended to obscure these gains. Also, and most important for our purpose here, there is
a large gap between the generally agreed objectives of the curriculum and their actual translation
into textbooks and teaching practices.
Homi Bhabha Curriculum is basically an attempt to close this gap as much as possible. It is
not conceived to be a revolutionary curriculum. The broad aims of the curriculum are much the
same as those articulated in countless reports and articles of different education departments and
agencies. The idea is not to produce a fanciful, ‘museum-piece’ curriculum that nobody would
adopt, but to attempt to discover a sound and wholesome curriculum that is practical to implement
in our school system. ‘Practical’ is, however, not to be regarded as a euphemism for the status quo.
As the users will find out, the alternative textbooks of the Homi Bhabha Curriculum are full of

radical unconventional ideas that we believe are both urgent, necessary and, given enough
efforts, feasible. But rather than describe here what we believe to be these innovative aspects, we
leave the users, students and teachers, to find and experience them. In the simplest and most
favourable situations, devising a curriculum and translating it into books, laboratories and teacher
manuals is a daunting task. In the complex parameters and constraints that govern our country’s
educational system, the task is formidable. Only time will tell if and to what extent the Homi
Bhabha Curriculum is an effort in the right direction.
Arvind Kumar

iii


Preface to Small Science: Class I & ii

T

he series of students' and teachers' books of the Homi Bhabha Curriculum for primary science

is the outcome of more than two decades of research and field experience at the Homi Bhabha

Centre for Science Education (HBCSE). During these years , several projects have been undertaken
to study problems related to pedagogy, communication in the classroom, students' conceptions,
text and picture comprehension and cross-cultural issues in science learning. All the members of
HBCSE therefore, past and present, have in some way contributed to this curriculum.
The curriculum is built out of simple, thematically organised, activities and exercises. Small
Science Class 1 & 2 deals with the broad area of environmental studies. This Teacher's Book
illustrates a few of the almost unlimited learning opportunities offered by our immediate
environment. In these first two classes we should remain unconstrained by a definite set of topics;
the idea is to simply open up possibilities for learning in everyday contexts.
The aim of this curriculum is to engage students and teachers together in a joyful and
meaningful learning experience. We hope that this book succeeds in doing so in your class. Please
do share your experiences with us. Your ideas and suggestions for improvement are welcome, via
e-mail or through the feedback form provided at the end of the book.
Jayashree Ramadas

Aisha Kawalkar

Sindhu Mathai


iv


Ackn
owledgements

Ackno

Our heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed to the book:
Arvind Kumar initiated the Homi Bhabha Curriculum and gave constant encouragement.
Pranita Gopal, along with Manasi Sapre and Fouzia Dohadwala, carried out classroom trials during the early stages and contributed many ideas.
Archana Shinde not only did the illustrations and layout but also helped in classroom trials and
gave useful inputs. Archana would like to thank Eleanor Watts for inspiration through her simple
and elegant stick figures in The Blackboard Book.
The principals and teachers of the Children's Aid Society and the Atomic Energy Central Schools 1
and 3 willingly accomodated us. Their students enthusiastically participated in the classroom
trials and contributed some ingenious drawings.
Nilesh Nimkar and the teachers of Gram Mangal, Aine in Maharashtra, shared their insights about
working with young children.
Chitra Natarajan read the drafts carefully and provided incisive feedback. Geeta Chadha and
Sugra Chunawala gave valuable comments. All the HBCSE staff members, especially Ritesh
Khunyakari and V. N. Purohit, were very helpful, gladly responding to our innumerable queries.

Jayashree Ramadas
Aisha Kawalkar
Sindhu Mathai

v


CONTE
NTS
CONTENTS
General Preface

iii

Preface to Class I & II

iv

Acknowledgements

v

Introduction

1

How to use this book

4

UNIT 1
Me and My Family
Topic 1

Topic 2

Topic 3

My family

My body

12

16

Knowing what is around me

19

UNIT 2
Plants and Animals

Topic 4

Topic 5

So many different plants!

Parts of plants

22

27


Topic 6

Animals around us

37

UNIT 3

Food
Topic 7

Topic 8

Foodgrains

Vegetables

Topic 9

Topic 10

46

50

Fruits

Food from animals

52

55

UNIT 4
People and Places
Topic 11

Our school

60


Topic 12

Market

Topic 13

Topic 14

Letters, postman, post-office

Buses and bus stops

Topic 15

Topic 16

63

66

69

Trains and train stations

People at work

72

75

UNIT 5
Time
Topic 17

Topic 18

Day and night

Calendar

78

80


Topic 19

Festivals

86

UNIT 6
Things Around Us
Topic 20

Our classroom

Topic 21

Topic 22

96

Shapes and sizes

Going on a ride

98

105

Games

109

Further Reading

114

Outline of the Homi Bhabha Curriculum (Primary science)

117

Feedback Form

119

INTRODU
CTION
INTRODUCTION

The Homi Bhabha Curriculum
Children are by nature curious and observant. They learn about
the world by watching, asking questions, and trying to make
sense of what they experience. The Homi Bhabha Curriculum for
primary science aims to encourage these natural tendencies of
students, while at the same time developing in them the basic
skills of learning.
The first few years of schooling are critical in shaping the child’s
attitude towards learning. Will the child see school learning as
passive absorption of uninteresting information, or as a
continuing adventure, a quest to understand the world around?
These early experiences will decide.

Teacher’s Book for Class 1 and 2
The Small Science TextBooks, WorkBooks and Teacher’s Books for Classes 3, 4 and 5 suggest a core
science curriculum for these years. The purpose of this Teacher’s Book for Class 1 and 2 is somewhat
different. Firstly, this book goes beyond science into the domain of environmental studies or EVS.
The Unit titles, “Me and My Family”, “Plants and Animals”, “Food”, “People and Places”, “Time”
and “Things Around Us”, denote areas of an EVS curriculum.
Although the Unit structure of this book broadly outlines a curriculum, the topics in it are not
rigidly prescribed. Within the areas suggested by the Unit titles, only a few indicative topics are
dealt with in this book. A particular topic or its suggested treatment might or might not be relevant
for your students. For example, “crows” may be part of life in an urban area while “snakes” may
be important in a rural area. The specific topics for your class should be selected from your

immediate environment. Questions and activities on these topics may be prepared by you based
upon your knowledge of your students.

Why only a Teacher’s Book?
A question which is often asked of us is, when Classes 3, 4 and 5 of the Homi Bhabha Science
Curriculum have a complete set of TextBooks, WorkBooks and Teacher’s Books, why do you have
only a Teacher’s Book for Class 1 and 2?
First of all it is useful to recall that this scheme is consistent with the current policy of the NCERT
and the State departments of education. Strong support to the. teacher has been the mainstay of
the Homi Bhabha Curriculum too, so a Teacher’s Book needs no justification.
Yet the question of a TextBook and WorkBook for EVS continues to be raised.
1


A striking observation about students in Class 1 and 2 is that their cognitive and social development,
as also their spoken language, is considerably in advance of their literacy and numeracy skills.
The risk, in relying on rudimentary reading and writing skills to teach EVS, is that we may end up
“dumbing down” the content.
One way out of this problem may be to supplement or replace text with pictures. But observation
of pictures cannot substitute for observation of the environment. Further, it is difficult to design a
textbook or workbook which communicates through appropriate pictures, yet remains relevant
in all environments. Much better that the teacher designs worksheets locally suited to the class.
Workbooks are definitely useful for reading, writing and mathematics but, we feel, to beginning
EVS learning they remain peripheral.
This is then a resource book, meant to give teachers an idea of the kinds of discussions and activities
that students at this age can carry out meaningfully. Students have considerable capacity for
learning through close observation and analysis, the only pre-condition being that the observations
are carried out in contexts that are familiar to them. You as teacher play a crucial role in directing
and facilitating this learning.

EVS and basic skills
Students of Class 1 and 2 are taking their first steps in literacy and numeracy. In many cases they
are also coping with a new language, or a medium of instruction which is different from their
mother tongue. This difficulty exists to some extent even in the vernacular medium where the
informal language spoken at home may be significantly different from the formal language of
school.
In this situation one cannot depend critically on reading and writing for the learning of other
areas like EVS. On the other hand, EVS affords a rich context to develop and support skills of
reading, writing, counting and geometry during the primary years. The various topics in Unit 4,
and in Unit 5, the topic of “Calendar”, suggest how guess-reading can be practiced by students to
achieve functional literacy and numeracy. In Unit 6, the topics “Our classroom” and “Shapes and
sizes” introduce various mathematical concepts through everyday situations. This skill
development in language and mathematics continues through Classes 3, 4 and 5 of Small Science.
Students entering school have come a long way in the development of their overall cognitive
capabilities. If they have grown up in a reasonably unrestricted environment, they would have
mastered a variety of perceptual, motor and analytical skills already. These skills should now be
supported and further developed through the EVS curriculum, through carefully designed
activities, questions and cues for observations.
These early years are important too for the development of social awareness and social skills.
Topics like, “My Family”, “People at Work” and “Festivals” focus specifically on social awareness.
The overall approach continually encourages meaningful social interaction in and outside the
classroom.
2


Learning through the environment
Children can surprise us with their perceptive observations.
Yet, in the early years of school we adults systematically
underestimate their capabilities. The school curriculum forces
them to attend selectively to a few simple, almost trivial, facts

and generalisations - a situation that is particularly prevalent
when learning happens in a language different from the
mother tongue.
It is easy to break out of this naive, bookish approach by
taking advantage of the possibilities afforded by our everyday
experiences. The environment is rich in opportunities for learning. To begin with, we have to
convey to students that their own observations, ideas and activities are important and valued in
the classroom. Then we provide a structure in which these ideas can be expressed, analysed and
evaluated by the students themselves. The rest will follow.

Assessment
The aims of this curriculum, as elaborated in later books of Small Science, prominently include
observation of the environment, design and engineering, language development, quantitative
thinking and social sensitivity. In Class 1 and 2 we develop preparatory skills in these areas.
Further we have added some parameters to assess all-round development relevant to EVS. For
details, see pages 8-9.

3


HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

Format of the book
There are two types of text in this book. One is the “student text” which is given in the following
kind of font:
Activity 6.1: Observe these two animals. Notice the differences between them.
Notice also the similarities.
These are questions and instructions that you the teacher would be directing at the students. This
“student text” is given in a different font type to differentiate it from the “teacher text” which
carries explanations, suggestions or additional information, as below:

This exercise will arouse students’ curiosity and initiate them into observing and thinking
about animals. Choose any two familiar and somewhat similar animals for comparison, say
a dog and a cow, a sparrow and a pigeon, or a bee and an ant. Wherever feasible this
exercise should be done with the animals actually present in front of the children.
For reasons of space, it has not always been possible to write the “student text” in conversational
child-friendly language. You will need to simplify the questions and frame them in ways relevant
to your students. For example:

"We have something interesting here today. Look at the earthworm in this glass. Have
you seen an earthworm before? ... etc. Now look at this little caterpillar. Don’t be
afraid, they will not hurt you. And you should not try to hurt them either ... etc. Now
tell me the differences you see between this caterpillar and this earthworm ... "
If this sounds daunting, you might begin in a more traditional way, recalling some prior experiences:

“How many of you have seen a dog? ... and how many of you have seen a donkey?
... Now tell me what is different ... think of as many differences as you can ... etc."
Before you start to use the book, skim through it to make sure you can identify the student text
and the teacher text.

Selection of topics
This single book serves as Teacher’s Book for classes 1 and 2 of Small Science. The distribution
of topics and questions between the two classes is left to your judgement. Remember that
though some of the topics might be common to the two classes, their level of treatment would
be different.

4


To plan the topics for the year, begin by reading this book thoroughly. Select a few topics and then
go through their treatment suggested here, to mark out the parts suitable for your class. Generally

the first few questions and activities in any section of a topic are suitable for Class 1. Topic 1 and
the first part of Topic 20 are particularly recommended for the beginning of the school year. Maintain
a record of which topics or parts of topics are done in the course of the year. Such a record kept in
Class 1 will be most helpful to the teacher in Class 2.
When it comes to discussion, children have short attention spans. Remember that anyone topic is
not intended to be completed at a stretch. Break up the topics into small parts while teaching - this
will also enable students to go back and observe and participate more effectively when that topic
is continued later. You need not maintain the serial order of topics given in this book.

Selection of questions
Under each topic, the student text gives a number of questions while the teacher text may indicate
a variety of possible answers for each question. The questions and pointers are meant to stimulate
discussion, to encourage students to talk and to recall their real-life experiences on which further
learning can be built. The questions encourage the habit of keen observation and enquiry. With
practice students will be able to frame their own questions too.
The questions aim to be fairly comprehensive. The teacher must decide, depending on the readiness
and interests of the class and the relevance of the topic, how deeply to explore it. Rather than
trying to exhaust all the questions on a particular topic, it may be better to go with the flow of the
discussion. The difficulty level of questions and activities need to be adjusted to your class.
Remember that each student is not expected to answer every question. Take care that the lesson is
not reduced to a volley of questions on some topic to which students cannot relate.

Language development
Move towards a gradual adoption of English or whichever is your medium of instruction. Initially
students may be better able to understand and to express themselves in the local language or in
their mother tongue. They should be allowed to do this without interruption or excessive correction.
Re-phrase questions in more than one way, so that all students have a chance to understand.
Encourage the quietest students to participate in the discussions.
As a general rule keep your sentences simple and avoid unnecessary use of difficult words. If
however the context is familiar then new words will certainly empower students to describe their

experiences effectively. In that case you may yourself first need to get familiar with the words (as
for example, the names of trees, or the terms connected with trains). If students lack the relevant
experiences then do not attempt to teach too many new words.
Collect stories, action-songs and poems appropriate for various topics and occasions. The readings
suggested on pages 114 to 116 will be helpful.
5


Develop and support literacy by providing plenty of opportunities for reading. Begin with activities
like matching words on identical labels (Activity 2.3), then go on to writing one-word responses
on the blackboard and having students read them out (as on page 52), matching pictures with
words (Blackboard work on page 23), and then choosing from a few words from the blackboard to
write labels for their drawings (Activity 1.3).

Activities
After short spells of discussion, involve the students in activities. Plan the activities in advance what materials have to be brought and whether they have to be conducted indoors or outdoors,
with the whole class, in small groups, in pairs, or individually. If possible ask colleagues or parents
to help out in the classroom. It is a good idea to designate one or two students as “helpers for the
day”. These students could distribute materials or help in other organisation. Other suggestions
in Small Science Class 4 Teacher’s Book pages 7-9 may be helpful.
Drawing :
Drawing a picture and colouring it enlivens the topic and helps students express their ideas. It
also helps develop design and draftsmanship. Encourage students to draw independently and,
rather than copying standard pictures, come out with their own novel ideas. Let the students talk
about what they have drawn. Initially you may need to encourage them with questions, but later
you will find them more forthcoming with their descriptions. You will find that the students’
imagination and creativity leap far ahead of their drawing skills!
As you check each student’s work and listen to their explanations, write down next to their drawings
some simple words, labeling what is there, or what is happening in the picture. Over time, this
practice will inspire students to do the labeling themselves, thus promoting writing skills too.

Students’ observation prior to doing the topic in the class will reflect in their drawings. So also
drawings will encourage further observation of details they would not have noticed earlier. Good
observation is thus not only a prerequisite for good drawing but it gets keener after it. For instance,
students often draw a typical five-petalled flower shape, not giving much thought to which plant
it represents. After spending time observing different types of plants (trees, shrubs, climbers, as
also flowers, leaves and fruits of different types) students will get a broader sense of plant life and
be able to make more connections with the plant life around them. You will discover this in their
drawings!
Do show in class pictures or photographs from books, charts or magazines. These would illustrate
a variety and diversity not necessarily found in the immediate environment - as for example in
butterflies, flowers, insects, birds, plants, occupations, vehicles, and so many other topics. You
may freely use the drawings in this book for blackboard illustrations.

6


Model-making :
Many of the model-making activities have been left to your interpretation. They may be made as
simple or as elaborate as you and the students wish. A quick improvisation, for example, pretending
that an empty box is a bus, is always possible. On the other hand a planned exercise of making a
model bus will develop in students several important skills and abilities including, designing,
geometrical drawing and counting.
Making simple origami models is good for developing fine-motor and geometrical skills. Due to
space constraints only a few descriptions for making origami models are given here. Please refer
further to books on simple origami, like the ones listed on page 114.
Acting-out :
The acting-out exercises too could be done at many levels. Judge the capability of the students.
Better observation will lead to richer acting and vice versa. At times the class may together dramatise
a story or a scene from a story told in the class. Keep in the school a small collection of props and
accessories useful for acting scenes.

Counting :
In Class 1 and 2 students are expected to learn to count till 100. Supportive activities for developing
the concept of number could be taken up during discussion on any topic, for example:
“How many students are here who walk from home to school - raise your hands ... and count the
hands”. Counting of objects should be done wherever possible.
Incorporate in your teaching, rhymes and songs like, “One, two, three-four-five, once I caught a
fish alive ... “ or, in Hindi, “Dus mote haathi jhoom ke chale ... “. Completing pictures by joining
numbered dots would be fun as well.
Field visits :
Field visits to different places like a garden, a market, a nearby bus-stop or post-office, to meet
people in various occupations, are invaluable in learning these topics. Planned walks serve well
as a starter or follow-up for topics like smells, sounds, colours, shapes, observing plants, as also
animals including birds and insects. Try to find out beforehand what interesting things can be
seen, or decide which plants or flowers etc. are to be shown. Do stop to look what arrests children’s
attention. Pick up various small things fallen on the ground like, twigs, stones of interesting shapes
and colours, seeds, pods, etc.. If possible at the site, or on returning, let the students draw and talk
about what they saw, learnt and collected.
You will need another teacher or a helper to accompany you during these outings. Before going
out of the classroom, give students simple, clear instructions for what to observe, or give them
say two questions to which they have to find answers. Most importantly, lay down firm rules
for behaviour: the success of a field trip is enhanced by its orderly conduct.
7


Display of student’s work :
To show that their work is appreciated, arrange displays of students’ drawings, models and other
things they make, or bring from home for activities (for example, cereals and pulses). Regularly
changing displays make the classroom look interesting and alive. Over the year try to exhibit the
work of all the students, and select across the range of abilities, ensuring that those missed out this
time get noticed the next time.

Prepare with the help of students, charts with specimen, pictures and words related to topics
being done in the class.
Discovery corner :
Choose a space in the classroom to keep novel objects of all kinds, not necessarily related to any
particular topic. Encourage students to bring in interesting things to exhibit here. This display
could change daily. The objects might be pebbles, feathers, bones, shells, seeds, simple mechanical
gizmos, broken or other throw-away things ... Take care to avoid sharp edges and heavy objects.
Let students examine the things, handle them and talk about them before or after the class.
Odds and ends :
Store old discarded things in a cardboard box or a cloth bag in the classroom. Collect in it empty
bottles, bottle tops, cardboard boxes, pieces of wood, threads or cords, different cloth materials,
old baskets, bags and so on. These objects will come in useful in counting, sorting, model-making
and other exercises. Also they may serve as props for acting-out scenes.

Method of assessment
Classes 3, 4 and 5 of Small Science have a continuous assessment system built into the WorkBooks.
In Class 1 and 2 we recommend a similar continuous assessment of every student’s contribution
in the classroom. The assessment at this level should be informal, based on the students’
participation in discussions and activities. In addition, their regular drawing and writing in their
notebooks might be taken into consideration.
This type of assessment will inform you about the students’ progress and potential. More
importantly, it will provide you with feedback to decide what to teach and how to teach it. The
assessment sheets of the students in Class 1 will be especially helpful to the teacher of Class2.
A model assessment sheet is given on page 10. In the Table on page 9 we list the same categories
along with a few examples of activities which involve these skills.

8


Some examples of activities related to assessment categories:

Categories

Some Examples of Activities

1.

Participation in discussions

2.

Recollection and narration

9.5, 11.2, 5.18, 19.1

3.

Observation

4.2, 5.9, 6.18, 14.3, 17.4

4.

Sensory skills

3.1, 5.11, 7.1, 9.1

5.

Reading

Blackboard activities, 4.5

6.

Writing

5.6, 10.7, 13.3, 18.5

7.

Sorting

6.7, 20.4

8.

Counting

10.4, 11.6, 18.2, 20.2

9.

Geometry

21.10, 21.11

10. Estimation

10.5, 21.3, 21.6, 21.18

11. Drawing

1.2, 4.6, 6.13, 11.1, 18.5, 2.1

12. Model-making

6.6, 6.10, 7.7, 14.1

13. Acting-out

1.4, 4.5, 15.6, 17.1, 20.8

14. Social awareness
15. Independent thinking and creativity
16. Co-operation with other students
17. Enthusiasm in doing activities
18. Completion of home assignments
You will notice that the activities often involve a combination of skills. As an example, Activity 1.2
could be used to assess not only drawing but also observation and writing. During any classroom
discussion, many different skills will be expressed, certainly not just recollection and narration
but also observation, reading, counting, independent thinking and social awareness.
Please maintain an assessment sheet for each student and note down in it remarks about the
student’s performance in the different categories. The assessment could be carried out after one
Unit has been completed, or even after a combination of a few Units or some parts of them are
done. It might perhaps more conveniently be done at regular intervals during the year, coinciding
with the examination schedule in your school. But remember to be relaxed and informal, do not
treat it as an examination!
9

Assessment Sheet

Name .................................................................

Assessment period ............................................

Participation in discussions ............................

Recollection and narration ...............................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Observation ......................................................

Sensory skills ......................................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Reading .............................................................

Writing ................................................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Sorting ...............................................................

Counting .............................................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Geometry ..........................................................

Estimation ...........................................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Drawing ............................................................

Model-making ....................................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Acting-out .........................................................

Social awareness ................................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Independent thinking and creativity ............

Working methodically ......................................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Patience and concentration ............................

Co-operation with other students ...................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Enthusiasm in doing activities .......................

Completion of home assignments ...................

............................................................................

..............................................................................

Other remarks .............................................................................................................................................
10

UNIT 1
me and my family

1. My family
2. My body
3. Knowing what is around me

11


1. my Family
This is a good topic to begin the new school year. Talking
about ourselves and our families should create a relaxed
atmosphere in the classroom besides serving to introduce
students to the teacher and to each-other. You as teacher
should start by introducing yourself in an informal and
interesting way (for example, the place you come from,
your hobbies ...).

Myself
What is your name? Do your friends or family call you by some pet name?
If possible get the students’ full names in complete sentences, without being too formal about it.
Where do you live? Nearby? Some distance away? What is your address? Who are all the
persons living in your house? Any close family members living away from the home?

Mother
By what name do you call your mother?
Ma, Amma, Aai, Mummy ... use these same terms in further
conversations.

Count how many students use a particular name.
Students raise their hands for each name, then one student
counts.
What is her real name? If you do not know, ask her.
Depending on how prepared the students are, encourage and help them to answer in full
sentences like, "My mother's name is ________."
What all things do you do with your mother? What kind of
clothes does your mother wear? Do you like to wear such
clothes? Do you sometimes in play dress up like your mother?
Count how many mothers wear particular kind of
clothes, like saris (worn in different styles), salwaar
kameez, skirts, pants, etc.
What all does your mother do at home? Does your
mother work outside the house? What does she do?
Activity 1.1: Play "Home"!
Act like your mother or father or any other member of
your family. Act out some everyday scene in your home.
Act out a scene in which some visitors come to your house.
12


Father
Questions to parallel those for mother:
By what name do you call your father?
Papa, Baba, Abba ...
What is your father's real name? If you do not know,
ask him.
What all things do you do with your father?
What clothes does your father wear? Do you like to wear such clothes? Do you sometimes
in play dress up like your father?

What all does your father do at home? Does your father work outside the house? What does
he do?
In any classroom there may be significant variation in cultures and in socio-economic status
of families. Questions on work and lifestyles should therefore be handled with sensitivity.
Encourage an appreciation of different lifestyles. Emphasise the role of women as well as men.
Activity 1.2: Draw a picture of your mother or father doing some work. Write their name
next to the picture.
How do you help your parents in the house? Do your sisters and brothers also help around
the house? In what way?

Sister, Brother, Cousin
How many sisters and brothers do you have? Are they older than you (big)
or younger (small)?
How many of you have an elder sister or brother?
How do you call her or him? What is her or his name?
In which class is (s)he studying? Does (s)he play with
you? help in your studies? fight with you? etc.
How many of you have a younger sister or brother
(name, age)? Does (s)he have teeth? What all does
(s)he do (crawl? sit up? walk or run? jump? babble?
talk? what else? any naughty things)? What does
(s)he eat? How do you play with her or him? Do you
trouble or are troubled by her or him?
Act like (imitate) your younger sister or brother.
You may similarly discuss cousin sisters and brothers.
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Grandfather, Grandmother
By what name do you call them? Describe what they look like.

What do they do? Do they tell you stories (name some), help
with your school work?

Other family members
Any other family members in the home eg., uncles, aunts? Talk about them.
Any family members whom you visit or who visit you, say in the vacations ...?
Any recent functions in the family? Which relatives and friends did you meet then?

Pets
Do you have a pet or domestic animal?
Explain that "animal" includes birds, turtles, fishes, etc.
Some people might keep frogs, snakes and lizards too.
What is your pet’s name? What food does it eat? What
all does it do? Do you play with your pet?
Activity 1.3: Draw a picture showing the members of your family. Select words from the
list on the blackboard - My mother, My father, Myself, My sister, My grandfather.... and write
them under the pictures. Write their names too.
Count how many members are there in your family and write down,
"I have ________ people in my family".
Activity 1.4: Finger puppets - Choose different fingers of your hand as the
members of your family and draw their faces. Make them talk to each other.
Blackboard work:

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